Kremlin does not rule out disruption of Nord Stream pipelines could be sabotaged
Dmitry Peskov explained that contacts with the German side were maintained by the operator of the pipelines
MOSCOW, September 27. /TASS/. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not rule out that disruptions in the operation of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines could be sabotaged.
"Now we can't rule out any option," he told reporters responding to a relevant question from TASS.
"Obviously, there is some kind of destruction of the pipe, and as for what caused it, before the results of the research appear, we cannot rule out any single way," he added.
Peskov stressed that "certainly, this is an issue related to the energy security of the entire continent."
Responding to a question from TASS about possible contacts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the situation, the Kremlin representative explained that contacts with the German side were maintained by the operator of the pipelines. "Contacts are carried out by the operator. Of course, this is the main issue for them now," he said.
Earlier, Nord Stream AG announced that the harm that occurred on the same day simultaneously on three lines of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 offshore gas pipelines was unprecedented, and it is not yet possible to estimate the recovery time frame.
Shortly before that, Nord Stream AG reported a pressure drop on both lines of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, the causes of the incident are being investigated. Earlier, a similar problem with a sharp drop in pressure occurred on another gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2.
The Tagesspiegel newspaper, citing its own sources, reported that an alleged sabotage could be the reason for the drop in pressure at the gas pipelines. In response, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action of Germany said that it had not yet established what caused the pressure drop at the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, and did not know where exactly the leak could have occurred. The Federal Network Agency, Germany’s state watchdog, announced through its representative that it did not see any aftereffects for the security of supplies as a result of pressure drops in the pipelines.